Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih has told the legislature’s transportation committee that there is no guarantee Taiwan will grant Chinese freighters permission to pass through the Kinmen Islands.
Yeh was responding to concerns that allowing Chinese freighters to pass through the islands might compromise national security. Mainland China has asked Taiwan to allow its cargo vessels to pass through the islands, located off the Chinese coast, on their way into international waters.
Yeh said that the route Chinese vessels propose to use runs through a narrow, easily defensible strait between two small islands. He said that the military could easily hold the islands in the event of a confrontation with Chinese vessels.
However, he also said that China’s request to open the passage to its shipping will require negotiation. He said that before making a decision, the government will first consider what Taiwan can get in return.